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The Gun (TV series episode)
The Gun was the 86th episode of the CBS-TV series M*A*S*H, and, also the 14th episode of the fourth season of the series. Written by Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds, and directed by Burt Metcalfe, it first aired on December 2, 1975. Synopsis A vintage Colt revolver is stolen from the camp's gun locker and Radar is accused as the thief. Full episode summary Wounded arrive at the 4077th, including a Colonel Chaffey (Warren Stevens), who is carrying a rare, antique pistol as a side-arm. Radar takes it and locks it up in the gun bin - Standard Operating Procedure - but not before Frank takes a few moments to drool all over it, in a display of machismo. Later, when Radar returns to the gun bin, he sees that the Colonel's gun is missing, so he tells Col. Potter, who starts an investigation to find it - otherwise, Radar could go to the stockade for 15 years. Radar is paralyzed with fear: "I won't get out until I'm thirty - that's almost dead!" Potter fails to find the gun and has to break the bad news to Col. Chaffey. Chaffey is enraged and wants Radar. Not the whole of him - just his head. Meanwhile, Frank shows Hot Lips an antique gun that he "got from home." He asked it to be sent because he "missed his old pal." Hawkeye and B.J. confront Frank, insinuating he took the gun, and now that it's gotten Radar in trouble, he should give it back. Frank, not giving an inch, notices how everyone is entitled to be innocent until proven guilty, except for him. Hawkeye and B.J., annoyed that Frank is actually right for once, back off. Radar gets drunk, sure is he is going to the stockade. In the middle of the night, he staggers over to visit Col. Chaffey, to protest his innocence. While there, they both hear a gun go off, causing everyone to run outside. In the confusion, Frank makes his way to Hot Lips' tent, with a gun shot wound to his foot. He at first tells a tall tale about getting into a fight with someone he saw lurking in the Supply Shed, but Hot Lips forces him to tell the truth - that gun isn't his, it never was. While he was trying to return it, it accidentally went off. Hot Lips is mad at Frank for stealing and lying, but Frank has learned his lesson: "Yep - when you steal something, don't ever try to return it." The gun now returned, all of the charges against Radar are dropped. Col. Chaffey apologizes to Radar, and Col. Potter suggests the gun is more trouble than it's worth, maybe he should think about donating it to a museum. Col. Chaffey will have none of that, insisting he'll keep it until the day he dies. He rides off. The next day, Hawkeye and B.J. see Frank limping - he claims it's an old football injury, but they hint that they know the true source of the wound. How did they know? Just a guess, really - a "shot in the dark." Research notes/Fun facts *The part where B.J. and Hawkeye confront Burns has two versions: in one Hawkeye signals the orderlies to leave so he and B.J. can have a private chat with Burns; in the other a scared Burns remarks how the last time he was alone with these two, they put whitewash on his behind; the remastered version cuts out the part where Frank claims that it cant be proven he took the gun; {While Burns seems to have won this round, he was obviously scared enough to replace the gun he had stolen} *Its never explained how Burns stole the keys from Radar in the first place without Radar knowing about it - nor why Radar has over 100 keys! *Col. Potter tells a story about a time when he almost got crushed by a runaway portable latrine. He also talks about his uncle accidentally shot off his toe and killed his cat by accident. (This portion is usually omitted in most syndicated airings.) *One of Radar's best John Wayne impersonations: "You better believe it, mister, or you're dead where you stand." (In fact, John Wayne didn't say this in any movie.) *"A shot in the dark" is an old English idiomatic expression meaning exactly what Hawkeye implies: a guess. There is also a 1964 comedy film with this phrase as its title. *The remastered version cuts out the part where the soldier takes his rifle out of the gun bin; it does add the part where Potter asks Mulcaney to pray for a gun. *Radar claims that when he made Corporal in basic training he spent 16 hours and 25.00 in a photobooth so he could send a picture of himself as a corporal to each of the 400 fellow High school students! *'Anachronisms.' **The Colonel's gun is described as a Colt 45, chrome with bone grips. When examining it, Margaret reads off the inscription "1884". This is an anachronism. The gun is a Colt New Service which was made 1898-1941. (The US Army adopted this model in 1909.) Hawkeye calls it the kind of gun they signed Indian Treaties with. There were no Indian Treaties after the 1870s, but Hawkeye was probably only making a joke. **Perhaps it was unwise to have a full frame of Potter holding up his Stars and Stripes newspaper. From the headlines "Nationalists Reject Red Ultimatum," we can see that it is an anachronism: the paper is dated April 20, 1949. But of course, they were filming in the days before viewers had freeze frame and slow motion playback. *'Timeline fix.' **The P.A. announces that the movie for the night is "Kansas City Confidential". This came out in November 11, 1952. So we are in late 1952, early 1953. This is on track and consistent with the last fix in "Dear Peggy," but we are hurtling towards the last few months of the Korean War with 7 more seasons to go. The timeline will have to be reset soon. **The mention of Eisenhower and Nixon is correct as the Presidential Elections was in November 1952. **Potter reads about 80 cadets being expelled from West Point. The actual scandal was in August 1951, when 83 West Point cadets were dismissed for cheating in their exams. So Potter is a year late here. But they probably needed this reference for a bit of deliberate irony; we have just seen Frank show off the stolen gun. *'Continuity issues.' **Radar has a sister in this episode - he is usually referred to as an only child. **Chopper pilot Smilin' Jack Mitchell can be seen in the Officers Club and later by the camp bulletin board. He will be grounded and sent home 8 episodes later in the episode "Smilin' Jack". No problem if you watch in broadcast order, but there will be a discontinuity if watched in production order because "Smilin' Jack" was produced very early in Season 4, 8 episodes before "The Gun". Episodes with a lot of outdoor scenes like "Smilin' Jack" were usually produced early in the Season to take advantage of longer hours of daylight. * M*A*S*H is forced to bug out from Friday to Tuesday at 9:00PM this week, due to it being plastered in competition with NBC's Friday night powerhouse Chico and the Man. * Bloopers/Goofs ** The final scene has Radar and Colonel Potter exchanging glasses, after they realize that Potter put the wrong ones beside Radar's cot as he was putting him to bed. Col. Potter never took his own glasses off in that scene, making the switch impossible. Also, Radar confronting Col. Chafey happens after Col. Potter tucks him in; and Radar is wearing the (presumably) correct glasses. Guest stars/Recurring cast *Warren Stevens as Colonel Chaffey *William Christopher as Father Mulcahy *Uncredited appearances: *Kellye Nakahara as Nurse Kellye *Gwen Farrell *Jo Ann Thompson - probable. In post op. *Patricia Stevens - probable. With Smilin' Jack in O club. *Roy Goldman *Dennis Troy Gallery BJ and the gun-the gun.jpg|First good view of Colonel Chaffey's gun - B.J. lifts it off him during triage. Uncredited 1-the gun.jpg|This soldier has a lot of lines as he describes how he, Colonel Chaffey and the others in the jeep were injured when an American tank ran them off the road. Strangely, he goes uncredited and we don't know who he is. Colt New Service-the gun.jpg|A close up of the gun in the gun bin, which allows us to identify it as a Colt New Service, 1898. Margaret-the gun.jpg|Margaret doing yoga. Her body suit is olive green and she is a stickler for regulations. Wonder if the body suit is official army issue. Goldman-the gun.jpg|Uncredited background appearance Roy Goldman as he serves Colonel Chaffey a drink. Uncredited 2-the gun.jpg|This soldier gets a line or two but is uncredited. Stars and Stripes-the gun.jpg|Colonel Potter holds up his copy of Stars and Stripes, allowing us to identify it as the Pacific edition 20 April 1949. Either anachronistic or they are just being like any doctor's waiting room. Smilin Jack-the gun.jpg|Lieutenant Smilin' Jack Mitchell or someone wearing his characteristic flight jacket and yellow cap. He is in the background is this scene in the Officers Club. Category:Season 4 episodes